In The Shadows Of Gotham And Star
by BitterRedemption
Summary: It was a normal patrol night. With the rest of the team's company suffocating and GA and Canary on a date Artemis is on her own. What she doesn't know it that the alleys of star are more dangerous than anyone thought, and what happens that night will change everything.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Artemis was out late on patrol. She didn't see that many people this late at night. Green Arrow had left her on her own that night in favor of a date with Canary. She didn't mind though. She was used to being alone after her sister left. Plus she needed the alone time. Kid Flash was more annoying than usual, Connor and M'gann were just too obvious with their relationship, Robin was being a troll, and Kaldur was being his reclusive, quiet self. Zatarra had kept Zatanna home for the last few days, meaning that she was alone to deal with them. She was ready for a night to herself.

She landed on the balls of her feet at the top of one of the high-rise buildings. She looked around. The night was peaceful and cool, refreshing against her skin. She hadn't gotten out of Gotham in a few weeks because of schoolwork and it had really bugged her. The air around Star City was less polluted than Gotham air. From her vantage point she could see the shopping districts and on to the river and the bridge. She let through a small smile, loving this night.

She looked to the surrounding streets for any activity. She saw mostly just the late-nighters walking, some not completely straight, and noticed a mugger in a back alley with a girl. Her smile turning into an angry sneer she jumped over to where they were. She hated men like that. She landed on the building top behind them. The man was behind her with his right arm around her arms and body. His left hand was pushing her shoulder down. Quickly she aimed and fired at him. Before the arrow could hit he moved over. His mouth was open displaying two sharp fangs as he snarled at her. The girl in his arms was squirming at her chance of freedom. His grip loosened enough for her to escape. Instead of chasing her he faced Artemis. The girl ran off screaming to the street. Artemis let loose another arrow at the man, a blunt.

He caught the arrow.

In her two seconds of surprise he was on her. He ripped her bow from her hands and threw her from the top of the building she had perched on down to the alley below. She heard a snap as she landed on her back, her quiver digging sharply into her back. She rolled to the side before the man could land on her.

She ended in a kneel, feeling a sharp pain on her side. The mugger had himself in a fighting stance. Off to his right was her bow. She was obviously outmatched with this guy; he was faster and stronger than her. Canary had taught her how to fight big guys, but he had near super-strength and he moved before she could blink. He noticed her glancing at her weapon.

"You think you can win this fight?" he laughed. "You heroes have made my life so much harder. Seeing as how you scared off my meal though," his voice took a low amused tone, "_you_ can be my meal tonight archer."

She brought her arms up at the same time he was on her. He was scratching her cut appearing on her arms and chest when he could get to it. Frustrated the man threw her hard against the wall, a jolt of pain erupting from her side. Before she fell to the ground he had her arms locked above her head and a hand on her chin. Her costume was torn on her arm guards, on her shoulder, and above her right knee. She could feel nails like claw digging into her skin. His face was dirty, but his eyes shown bright with manic intentions and _hunger_. She knew what guys like this did. She hated this man. They ruined the lives and futures of women and girls. They were true monsters, doing this. Artemis couldn't believe this was going to happen to her. She didn't want to admit that she was scared, but even as she thrashed in his hold she knew there was nothing she could do.

In the shadows of Star City, she was at this man's total mercy.

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Tears sprung to her eyes as she continued to struggle even though she knew she wasn't going to be able to throw him off. She couldn't handle this. She knew what was coming and she couldn't do it.

She felt him rip her costume, making the tear by her neck larger until most of the shoulder was gone and part of her mask too. She felt him move her bra strap off her shoulder and bit her lip, almost letting out a whimper. She felt him push her harder against the wall. He licked her neck, then he bit down.

Instead of biting as if to give her a hickey, his canines slipped into her skin. She let out a gasp of surprise and pain as he did so, those teeth _hurt_. Blood flowed freely from the wound. Flowed straight into his mouth where he sucked greedily at her flesh, draining blood from her body. The longer he sucked the weaker she felt. Artemis began to whimper out, pleading for freedom.

"please-stop-hurts-_please" she_ knew her eyes were red and she was getting the headache that came after crying really hard for a long time.

"You want me to stop girl?" He removed his mouth from her neck long enough to say, smirking against her ear. Her skin _crawled _under his touch, itched and ached in the most unpleasant ways possible.

She didn't finish gasping out anther cry to be let free before she was thrown across the alley against the wall and fell to the ground, all the pain in her body mixing into one. That was when the man gave a harsh tug and pulled her up by her hair and bit down hard on the other side of her neck. Instead of drinking from her this time, it felt like he took a big bite out of jugular and tore all the flesh in her neck to shreds. The man dropped her.

"This is where I take my leave. Send my regards to the other _heroes_ when you drink them dry!" With that the mugger disappeared and left a blonde archer slowly bleeding to death on the cold wet cement of a Star City alley.

**Hey! So, this is an idea I've had. I'm working on The Red Queen, don't worry. Writers block is a bitch though. Anyway, I like the thought to this story (ideas for this and the red queen are welcome though) and I want to keep writing it. Because I haven't said this for my other story and I need to say it for this one too, I OWN JACK-SHIT OF THIS. I OWN ONLY MY O/C'S AND MY PLOT LINE. DON'T SUE ME.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The pain that racked through her was immeasurable. It hurt in ways she didn't think were possible. All over her body it ached, Artemis assumed from blood loss. Where he torn into her neck, both sides, stung and hurt even worse when the dirt and grime from the ground got in it. She could feel the numerous cuts in her back from being thrown against the wall and the ground. Every time she took a breath she could feel that she had broken _at least _three ribs.

But those weren't the worst.

Those injuries didn't hold a candle to the pain in her stomach. There was an emptiness, a hunger that clawed and stabbed and growled and pulsed in her that screamed for one thing, one single craving that promised her clouded mind an end to the pain of her body and to her hunger. For a few moments she didn't recognize what she was craving.

She didn't know how long she'd been out after he bit her, but things were clouding over. Shakily Artemis got to her feet. Looking around her she saw a green metal compound bow. She felt like she recognized it, or at least that is was important so she picked it up.

She walked to the alley behind the buildings, away from the street. She stumbled and caught herself against the wall, gripping her stomach and grimacing in pain. The pain had only increased since she got up. What was she even doing earlier?

Artemis continued her stumbling walk until the buildings shortened and thinned out. She heard loud music and the sound of rushing water. She gripped the bow in her hand tighter and swallowed. Looking up to the building she saw light and heard an old rock song coming from it. The back door was opened outward and light was spilling into the small area between the building and the river behind it.

She recoiled when the scents from the bar hit her. It reeked with cheap alcohol and cologne. The music was a loud playing country song about cheating men and something else, but she wasn't sure. Along with the music she could hear what sounded like billiards and many people talking loudly. Laughing and yelling, stories and even whispers in ears. It was all so loud.

But the loudest sound came next.

A man, slightly overweight and drunk off his ass stumbled out the back doorway towards the river. The man and the bar were still a ways away from her own stumbling course. He continued on his way, tripping and tumbling away from the light still coming from the open doorway. Even as he walked away, even though he was too far away to hear when speaking on a normal volume, even though she shouldn't be able to, she heard his heartbeat. She knew what it was immediately, _the bu-bump bu-bump bu-bump, _resounding in her ears. She had heard her own heartbeat enough in her life. Most of her memories were blurring over, but fear was prevalent enough.

He turned to her finally seeing her as he stopped several yards further from the edge of the light. He smiled a toothy grin that turned her stomach.

In less than three seconds she was on him, he was on the ground, and the grin was gone. He almost had time to scream before she severed his jugular and drank deeply and fully of his thick, red, intoxicating blood. Then everything faded.

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When Artemis woke she didn't recognize where she was. It took a second but she realized she was in the forest of one of Star City's parks. The clearing was small, mostly dirt and a few scraggly weeds. But that isn't what caused her breath to catch in her throat.

In the clearing with her were two others. She scrambled up and put her fingers to their necks to find their pulses, but she knew even before that they were dead. There was so much blood everywhere. She looked down at her hands, shaking, and noticed not only was there blood from their necks on her hands, but more up her arms over her shirt down to her stomach and legs. She was covered in cuts, scrapes, tears, and yet more blood.

One of the bodies in the clearing was what looked like a middle aged man, slightly overweight. The second was probably his friend, and judging by the beer stains on their shirts and a broken bottle by the second, his drinking buddy. Both were pale, as though drained of all blood, with wide open eyes that seemed to be shocked, as though their last seconds were a surprise.

Artemis looked to her watch. Five thirty-eight in the morning. Quickly walking to the edge of the clearing, casting one more terrified glace at its dead occupants, she promptly turned and ran.

Quickly finding a zeta tube she went directly to Gotham. Hopefully her mother would still be asleep when she got there so she could wash the blood off and change. She was supposed to be home hours ago, but luckily it was Saturday so she could catch up on her sleep at home instead of her first period math class.

It took her only a few moments to get back to her apartment building and even less to jimmy her window open. She stripped her costume off and dropped it on an old t-shirt. She couldn't explain the blood stains and the tears so she figured she would dispose of her costume before her mom woke up. First she would have to shower.

The water at the bottom of the shower took a rosy hue as she stepped under the steaming rain. Artemis leaned her head against the wall. _What happened? I don't remember. _She took a deep breath. _I was on patrol. Then I came across the man and saved that girl. _Slowly things came back. _Then we fought. _She raised a hand to her mouth. _And he bit me. What did he say? 'Send my regards to the other heroes when you drink them dry!' What did he…_

She stepped out of the shower and toweled off. She looked herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened. All the cuts and scrapes were gone. She felt her side where she had broken her ribs, and while it was still tender, it didn't hurt the way a newly broken rib would. She leaned forward to look in the mirror. The bites on her neck were gone completely. There was a bruise on her cheek, she remembered getting it last night. But as she watched the bruise faded to the greenish color they go before healing, then disappeared completely.

_He had super-strength, super speed, he mentioned the girl being his __**meal,**__ and he bit me. He… but vampires aren't real!_ Artemis was almost hyperventilating by this point. _And he, and he bit me! He said… I was going to drain them dry. _Tears started streaming down her cheeks. She could be a vampire. They weren't real. She couldn't be one of them because vampires are evil, dark creatures. She would be as bad as her dad and sister if she were a vampire.

She slipped back into her room, rubbing the tears from her eyes. Six fifteen AM. She should get dressed, should deal with everything, but the long night was finally catching up to her. She fell into her bed and was asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

Seconds later her phone buzzed, but she didn't hear it in wonderland.

_Hey wanna go do something today? -Z_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Artemis, Artemis wake up!" Artemis woke up to her mother shaking her.

"What's the matter mom?" Stealing a sidelong glance at the alarm clock by her bed, she almost groaned, 12:52. Damn, she had slept in late.

"It is almost one o'clock. You never sleep in this late." Her mother rolled over to her side and put her hand on her forehead. "Are you sick? You feel very cold. When were you in last night?"

"I'm fine mom. Really. Just tired is all." Artemis sat up completely and gave her mother what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Of course." Her mother began to leave the room "It is only that one of your friends is here. Apparently you have not answered her texts. Get dressed and come out." She closed the door behind her on the way out the door.

Artemis reached over to her phone as she got up to see who had texted her. 18 missed messages. All of them were from Zatanna. Quickly she got dressed in a random pair of jeans and a tee. She hadn't taken her hair out of its ponytail when she got home so she did that now and began to brush it as she went into the living room.

Sitting at the couch was a certain raven haired magician answering a text on her phone.

"Hey Zee, what's up?" Artemis sat next to her on the couch.

Looking up she smiled. "Nothing I just thought we could hang out today. I was worried when you didn't answer my texts. I knew you had patrol last night and I didn't know if you got back late or something. Hey are you ok? You look pale. Well, paler than you did when you walked in." she reached out a hand to feel Artemis' forehead. "Wow you're really cold Arty."

Brushing her hand away Artemis closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm fine Zee. I had a, um, rough patrol last night and got in late. I was asleep when you texted, that's why I didn't answer. We can hang today. What do you want to do?"

"I figured we could walk around, see the sights." Zatanna shrugged. "Is there anything specific you like?"

"Umm… we could go get something for lunch, there is a café not far."

"Sounds great."

A few minutes later the archer and the magician were sitting in a downtown café 'The Corner Café' with sandwiches and sodas. It was small and filled with people but the food was great and didn't cost a fortune either.

"Do you come here a lot the sandwiches are great. There are only a few places back home that make a good vegetarian wraps." Zatanna covered her mouth with her hand as she was still chewing.

"Yeah. Most days I just want a plain BLT and theirs are pretty good." Artemis answered from behind her own sandwich. "So… what else did you want to do today? I know a few good thrift shops if you want to go shopping, I guess."

"That actually sounds great Artemis. My school's got a dance coming up and I really need to find a dress."

Three hours and twenty-four dresses later Zatanna walked out of the dressing room in a pretty red dress. It held close against her bust down to her hips where it flared out.

"I really like this one." The ebony spun and looked at herself in the mirror. Artemis had to admit she was pretty hot in that dress.

"Do we have a winner then?" Artemis checked her watch four fifteen. And she still had homework from that stupid academy. And she was getting hungry again.

Zatanna nodded and stepped back into the dressing room. There were only a few people in the store. The old woman that ran the store stood behind the counter chatting idly away with a middle aged woman that had gray streaks in her brown hair. A girl with bright pink hair was browsing the racks further back in the shop. Artemis was sitting on a chair in the middle of the store looking at the curtained dressing rooms. The curtain was pulled back and Zatanna stepped out in her tee-shirt and jeans with the dress draped over her arm.

The brunette and the shop owner were just saying good-bye as the girls stepped up to the register. They paid for the dress and stepped out into the street. For Gotham it was a beautiful day. The sky was a light shade of gray and it wasn't raining.

Artemis and Zatanna talked as they went down the sidewalk to Artemis' apartment. That was when she started to notice a soft thumping sound. It was steadily getting louder. She didn't realize she had gone silent until fingers snapped in front of her face.

"Arty? You ok?" There was a look of concern on her face

"Hmm? Yeah-yeah I'm fine Zee. Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That- never mind." The blonde shook her head and continued on, hoping the sound would disappear. Instead the thumping got louder and slightly faster. It was unmistakable now, the stead bu-Bump bu-Bump or a heartbeat. She turned slightly to look at Zatanna. It was her heartbeat. She still had a look of concern on her face. The sound was louder and louder and she couldn't shake it. She needed to get out of there and figure everything out.

**sorry everyone. thing have been insane and I have had other priorities. my dad got cancer and we just got him home and out of the hospital and I had finals and things just needed some time. I should hopefully be more regular this summer.**


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